Weekly Energy Charts
March 03, 2023
Featured Stories
USA’s Battery Boom
Yousaff Habib
The United States is experiencing a battery boom, with almost as much capacity added to the power grid in 2022 as in all previous years combined, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2022, the United States installed 4 gigawatts of battery capacity, with California and Texas accounting for 90% of installations. The battery surge is reshaping America’s regional electric grids, with analysts crediting a wave of new battery installations with sparing California from electric blackouts last summer.
Saticoy Battery Storage Plant
The growth is largely due to the strength of solar in California and Texas, which are the first- and second-largest solar markets in the United States. Batteries are well-placed to profit from the large swings in electricity prices in these states, where prices tend to fall during the day when solar is producing and surge in the evening when demand rises and solar production falls off. Lithium-ion batteries, which account for the vast majority of utility-scale energy storage installations, can charge quickly using surplus solar generation during the daytime hours and dispatch power over a four-hour interval in the evening. The battery boom is likely to continue, with developers planning to install 22 GW of battery capacity between now and 2026, according to EIA figures. Of that, 16 GW is slated for Texas and California. The Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping climate law enacted last year, makes it easier for battery developers to claim an investment tax credit, paving the way for any battery connected to the grid to qualify.
More information on the growth and how policy changes have effected it can be found here
Pakistans Renewables Roadmap
Yousaff Habib
Renewable energy experts and officials recently discussed Pakistan’s “2030 solar and wind roadmap” in an international webinar organized by Agora Energiewende and the Institute of Policy Studies. The roadmap, developed by Pakistan’s National Electric Power Regulatory Authority, aims to increase the country’s renewable energy share to 30% by 2030.
Speakers at the webinar emphasized the government’s commitment to de-carbonizing the power sector and transitioning to renewable energy sources. While renewable energy integration with the grid may cause issues with the system operations due to its intermittent nature, the National Transmission and Despatch Company is analyzing scenarios for renewable energy uptake.
The experts also reviewed a study suggesting an increase in Pakistan’s total renewable energy capacity to 33 GW by 2030, reducing energy generation emissions by 50% and average energy generation costs by 15%. The study recommends a reinforcement of road infrastructure, a focus on flexibilization of hydro and coal units, and a localized tender plan for auctioning out solar and wind power.
Furthermore, rooftop solar systems have potential for meeting local demands, reducing capacity payment burden and transmission losses, and managing daytime peaks. Mini and micro-grids present a feasible option for electrification in off-grid areas, improving rural livelihoods and increasing local business growth. The socioeconomic development of the communities is highly dependent on access to energy, and renewable energy can play a key role in addressing this challenge in Pakistan.
Check out this article for a little more depth on what this webinar entailed and what the roadmap looks like. If you’re curious about why renewables in Pakistan is such a big deal, check out this article on the issues currently plaguing their power grid.
Hydrogen community in Strathconca County
Erica Beattie
The Alberta Hydrogen Centre of Excellence (HCOE) is running their first funding competition. They are awarding $20M to 18 successful projects in order to advance innovations in hydrogen, and one of these projects is the proposed Bremner 100% Hydrogen Community in Strathcona County, Alberta. ATCO and Qualico are studying the logistics and feasibility of this project in hopes of creating a unique 100% hydrogen community. The goal is to work towards the elimination of carbon emissions produced by the heating of homes and usage of hot water. Bremner will be Canada’s first community of this kind and the largest scale project of its kind globally.
The projects funded will address the following:
- Development and use of hydrogen-focused technologies
- Creating a clean hydrogen community in Alberta that is both sustainable and self-sifficient
- Advancing Alberta’s strength in clean hydrogen technology deployment
More details on the HCOE funding competition and its chosen projects can be found here.
At-Home Solar Uptake
Kayla Layden
Conversations around alternative energy continue to hold a significant place in the public discourse in Alberta and around the world. One topic of interest is the uptake of small-scale solar units in residential homes.
Communities are keen to encourage the uptake of solar in homes as part of increased green energy usage. Applications opened this year for the City of Calgary’s clean energy improvement program (CEIP). Alberta Municipalities, which administers the program with funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, has already implemented CEIP in Edmonton, Canmore, and Lethbridge. The program encourages residents to make their homes more energy efficient by providing low-interest loans of up to $50,000. Adding solar panels is one of a list of eligible projects.
Companies are also trying to increase the appeal of solar as an investment by implementing systems that allow individuals to sell power back to the grid. This is currently possible through credits earned for excess power produced, but households are paid the regulated monthly rate approved by the utilities commission. As of last week, however, Solartility Inc., a Calgary company, is including a bi-directional interval meter when Albertans sign on to lease a rooftop solar system that also includes complete battery storage and an EV charger system. The interval meter, combined with the company’s cloud-based system, will allow households to sell power back to the grid at peak times while buying energy when prices are low, thus maximizing household returns. This is expected to help boost demand for this type of small-scale solar system.
Albertan Hydroelectricity
Marc Vermette
When we think about renewable energy in the prairies, your mind likely gravitates towards wind and solar power generation.
But it didn’t always used to be this way. In the early 1950s, around 50% of Alberta’s capacity was hydroelectric, but that share has since decreased to about 3-5%.
This decrease is expected to continue, with predicted hydroelectric capacity accounting for only 2% of total by 2050.
This despite the fact that, according to a 2010 study, Alberta contains 42-53,000 GWh of hydroelectric energy potential.
So why aren’t we seeing more hydro development?
The answer lies within the high costs and logistical demands of hydroelectric power generation, according to the Minister of Affordability and Utilities.
On top of these costs, downstream water rights for other uses, like farming, further conflict with the future development of any hydro-related projects.
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